Education activist Malala Yousafzai garners criticism as she ventures into Broadway production debut with Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Musical title Suff is on the suffering and plight of the women. It follows the struggle of women for their right to vote, dating back to 1900. The announcement met a barrage of criticism from social media. The pair received criticism for their deliberate silence on Palestinian and Gaza women while talking about the women’s suffragette movement.
“Malala co-producing a musical about the American women’s suffrage movement while being silent about the horrific atrocities being committed against women and girls in Gaza & actively collaborating with a vocal champion of Israel,” posted one user on X, formerly Twitter. “Irony has never been more stark.”
“Very cool that Malala is working alongside the former Secretary of State who supported the CIA drone wars that killed and maimed countless in northern Pakistan, destroying access to education…” said journalist Sana Saeed on X.
“Celebrity activists are picked and chosen for a reason by elites – they serve the general function of providing proximity to ‘doing good’ for those who otherwise leech on this world and its vulnerable. They also can be trusted to never harangue oppressors with power,” she added.
Read more: Malala Yousafzai becomes first Pakistani to receive honorary fellowship
Clinton ran for President in 2016 and presented herself as an advocate of women’s rights. Whereas, Malala Yousafzai hailed global support after the Taliban shot her for advocating for girl’s education at the age of 12, in Swat. She miraculously survived the assassination attempt. At 17, she became the youngest Nobel laureate in 2014 for her activism for girls education.
Now both these women are facing acute criticism for their silence on the ongoing oppression of Palestinian and Gaza women by Israeli forces. Users pointed out how Malala is collaborating with a supporter of drone strikes in Pakistan that killed countless people, whereas she is tight-lipped on how Israel has destroyed educational institutions in Gaza.